Of the many characters in Genshin Impact‘s ever-expanding roster, one group has intrigued fans since the Mondstadt chapter: the antagonistic Fatui Harbingers, a powerful group leading the deceptive Fatui. Devoted to the still-unseen Cryo Archon Tsaritsa, the group features members like Tartaglia, Scaramouche, and Signora — all powerful characters with their own purposes and goals in mind.
On July 10, Hoyoverse shocked Genshin Impact fans with “Teyvat Chapter Interlude Teaser: A Winter Night’s Lazzo,” which not only dealt with the result of Signora’s death at the end of the Inazuma chapter but revealed the eight remaining Fatui Harbingers. While this is the first time fans of the game have had a glimpse of some Harbingers in person, players may have picked up on the more hidden pieces of lore foreshadowing the Harbingers. There is plenty to learn about the Fatui Harbingers from in-game dialogue, character stories, and backstories hidden in artifact sets before they make an appearance in Genshin Impact.
Columbina “Damselette,” Sandrone “Marionette,” and Il Capitano “The Captain”
Much of what is known about Columbina, Sandrone, and Capitano comes from Tartaglia’s voice lines. According to Tartaglia, Columbina is the 3rd Harbinger, meaning she is the third strongest of the group, though he is not sure why. Because of this, he advises the Traveler to be wary of her. He describes Sandrone as “always engrossed in her research,” which may be related to the Ruin Guard-like figure accompanying her in the trailer. Lastly, Capitano is mentioned in passing in-game by Viktor during the Tales of Winter commission quest, wherein he mentions that he would prefer to work under Capitano than Signora. Tartaglia seems to have some admiration for Capitano’s skills in battle and wishes to learn from him.
Arlecchino, the “Knave”
Arlecchino is first mentioned in the World Quest series, The Very Special Fortune Slip, wherein it is revealed that she runs an orphanage in Snezhnaya. The orphanage, called the House of the Hearth, raises and trains orphans to be members of the Fatui and dispatches them on infiltration missions in other nations. Tartaglia describes her as not having a “sane bone in her body,” noting that she would betray the Tsaritsa if it would benefit her.
Pulcinella, “The Rooster”
Pulcinella’s first appearance in 2020’s Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview depicted him as a silhouette flanked by members of the Fatui. He is mentioned in Tartaglia’s fifth character story, which notes that he was the Harbinger responsible for inducting a younger Tartaglia into the Fatui after seeing his strength and penchant for getting into battles. This relationship seems to have continued to the present, as Tartaglia notes that Pulcinella genuinely treats him like family and takes care of his younger siblings while he is away.
Pantalone, “Regrator”
Mentions of Pantalone in Genshin Impact‘s lore appear as early as Mondstadt. Speaking to the owner of the Grand Goth Hotel reveals that Pantalone paid to book the entire hotel indefinitely for the Fatui, hinting at his extreme wealth. The Pale Flame artifact set reveals that after being born into a life of poverty and lacking direction, Pantalone gained a desire for wealth — a desire that would later lead to him becoming the wealthiest Harbinger.
Yelan’s lore sheds more light on Pantalone. In Yelan’s final character story, it is revealed that the white fur coat that Yelan wears was meant to be an offering from Pantalone to the Tsaritsa. However, Yelan intercepted Pantalone’s secret trade route and took the fur of a rare creature for herself. He is also mentioned during her story quest, having attempted to interfere with the Liyue Qixing.
Pierro, “The Jester”
Hints of Pierro’s backstory (and involvement in other characters’ backstories) are explored at length in the Pale Flame artifact set, though they come with their own set of mysteries. As the First Harbinger, Pierro chose to devote himself to the Tsaritsa after failing to earn the favor of a ruler from an unknown country and stopping them from “tearing away the veil of sin,” causing the country to face “divine wrath.” Pierro would later personally seek out and recruit several members of the Fatui, including Signora, Scaramouche, Pantalone, and Dottore.
Though Pierro has not appeared in-game, he is behind many of the challenges the Traveler faces. An in-game note in the Clean House world quest in Inazuma reveals that Pierro sent a Fatui agent to sabotage the Watatsumi Island resistance for the purpose of drawing out the war and increasing the demand for Delusions. Scaramouche also mentions him in the Unreconciled Stars event, having a hand in sending him to investigate the fallen meteors and finding the mysterious “truth” behind Teyvat’s stars and sky.
Il Dottore, “The Doctor”
Unlike the other newly-revealed Harbingers, Dottore has been present in Genshin Impact‘s story far before the teaser. His first appearance in the Genshin Impact manga saw him acting as the main antagonist. The manga demonstrates that Dottore has little regard for human life — he turns a member of the Fatui into a monster resembling a Ruin Guard and works with other Fatui members to conduct experiments on human beings, including Collei.
The Pale Flame artifact set reveals more about his background, stating that he was studying at the Sumeru Academia before being recruited to the Fatui by Pierro. His interest seems to lie in creating “enhanced humans” and researching Ruin Guards, as Tartaglia’s story quest has the Traveler visit one of his research labs in Liyue.
Additionally, Tartaglia’s voice line about Dottore notes that he has different “segments” of himself that can be in different places at once, with one segment being seen burning down an unknown tree while the other attends Signora’s funeral. With Collei’s involvement in the storyline, Dottore’s ties to Sumeru, and his appearance at the end of the interlude teaser, it appears as if he will play a part in the upcoming region’s story.
“A Winter Night’s Lazzo” teased players with a first glimpse at the rest of the pieces of the Tsaritsa’s plan in play, from the mysterious First Harbinger, Pierro, to Dottore, who may play a key role in the upcoming Sumeru region. While they are still shrouded in mystery, pieces of lore hidden in-game or in supplementary material paint a better picture of each Harbinger and set up what players may encounter in the future. Genshin Impact‘s story continues to develop, revealing not only more about each character but about the entire world of Genshin Impact itself.